Those Nights
by caders
Summary: A little one shot that follows Alex and Olivia from their first meeting up to when Alex joins SVU. Mostly told from Alex's mother's POV but it switches around a little towards the end. Hopefully it's not completely awful; I'm still new to this fandom...


They met their first day of kindergarten. Olivia remembered when the little blond girl with blue eyes walked in to her class she thought that an angel had come. She sometimes remembered her mommy telling her about angels. She said they were beautiful; more beautiful than anything or anyone else. Olivia was further convinced when the girl spoke to her and didn't say mean things to her. She introduced herself as Alexandra.

"But you can call me Alex. My mommy calls me Alex. What's your name?" the girl asked, smiling blue eyes all Olivia could focus on. Olivia was temporarily stunned speechless but soon found her voice. "Olivia."

"Olivia." The girl sounded it out. Olivia remembered thinking that she liked it when the girl said her name. "I like it. Can I call you Liv?"

"Um. Why?"

"Cause it's shorter. Like how my mommy calls me Alex. Doesn't your mommy have a name like that for you?" Alex inquired, her eyes holding confusion. Olivia was young but she knew it could be bad if she told anyone else the names her mom called her when she came home late and smelling awful.

"No, not really." Olivia replied after a moment. Alex looked surprised but then she smiled.

"Well then how about just I call you Liv?" the smile that lit up Olivia's face made Alex smile in response and an instant bond formed. By their second day of school the girls were inseparable and had already decided to be lifelong friends. Although Alex's mother seemed slightly concerned with the fact that the girl her daughter had befriended seemed a bit on the thin side for a child her age she had never met the mother and didn't want to make any trouble. After all, Olivia was well mannered and polite whenever she saw the girl when she picked Alex up from school.

It was half way through the school year that the young girl became truly endeared to her. She'd been called at work by the school to come get Alex because there was an incident in the

school yard. Rushing straight to the school Elizabeth Cabot found her daughter sitting outside the principal's office with a healing split lip and slightly puffy red eyes. The indignant look on her face would've been funny if not for those two factors.

"What happened?!" she demanded as she strode into the office, scooping Alex into her arms immediately and cradling her head against her shoulder.

"Mrs. Cabot we're so sorry for calling you away from your work-"

"I don't care about that! What happened to my daughter?!" Elizabeth demanded as she felt the unmistakable warmth of tears soaking into the shoulder of her blouse. She leveled a glare that promised painful things to the balding, slightly pudgy man behind the desk if she didn't get answers immediately.

"I-it seems that there was a small scuffle between two other students and your daughter was caught in the crossfire." He explained feebly. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm her anger Elizabeth released it as she rubbed soothing circles on Alex's back as the young girl continued to cry silently on her shoulder.

"And what happened to the two children who started this scuffle? And more importantly where were the teachers who are supposed to be supervising these children? For goodness sake this is an elementary school. How hard can it be to keep a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds in line?" she asked.

"Ah. The older boy has already been picked up by his parents and was given a stern lecture and a 2 day suspension and the other young lady is sitting in the nurse's office waiting to be picked up by her mother. She has been suspended for 2 days as well since it was she who struck your daughter." The principal explained, glad that there was something he could tell the irate mother.

Elizabeth's eyebrows furrowed as Alex mumbled something she couldn't understand into her shoulder.

"What was that sweetie?" she asked softly. Alex shifted slightly and lifted her head, looking Elizabeth in the eyes.

"It wasn't Liv's fault mommy. The bigger boy pushed me first and he was picking on me. When Liv told him to leave me alone he pushed her too. They wouldn't let me sit with Liv." Alex pouted. "He made Liv cry momma."

Elizabeth arched a brow then turned back to the principal. He started sweating lightly under the intense gaze of the tall strawberry blonde woman. "Well?" she demanded.

"The other girl, Olivia Benson, was injured and according to her the boy did push Alexandra first before turning his sights on her. Although her word is slightly dubious and the boy, Trevor, said that it was Olivia who pushed him first…" he knew he'd said the wrong thing when the woman's gaze went from intense to downright glacial.

"You're telling me that you're taking the word of this young man despite the fact that the two young ladies in this incident have already told you that it was he who started it?"

"W-well the boy comes from a well to do family much like yourself and he'd never been in trouble before in his 2 years here. Young Olivia on the other hand has been caught stealing out of other students lunch boxes and this isn't her first scrap since she's been here…" the principal explained. When Elizabeth's eyes went from glacial to burning with anger he took a step back.

"Where is the girl?" she grit out through her teeth. He shakily pointed in the direction of the nurse's office and she stormed out. She could hear the small sobs coming from the room before she saw its sole occupant sitting in a child sized plastic chair. When she noticed the girl holding her arm at an awkward angle she drew in a breath through her teeth, garnering the attention of the young girl who immediately stopped sobbing and swiped away the signs of her tears with her good hand.

"Liv!" Alex started squirming around, trying to get down. Elizabeth set her down and she immediately rushed to the young girl's side.

"Liv are you ok?" the small blonde asked, looking intently at the equally small brunette. Olivia smiled, her young eyes filled with pain, as she reached for Alex.

"I'm fine. Are you okay? You're the one bleeding…" she said, stopping short of actually touching Alex. Alex, on the other hand, had no such hesitations and grabbed Olivia's outstretched hand, sitting next to her. "I'm just fine silly. I know you didn't mean to hit me with your head. I know Trevor pushed you and you tripped."

Elizabeth smiled, proud of her daughter. She caught the young brunette's eyes, that looked so much older than they should, studying her. She then turned to 'whisper', loudly, in Alex's ear the way only a child could; just loud enough for Elizabeth to hear.

"Is that your mommy?" Alex smiled and nodded. "She's so pretty!" Olivia 'whispered' in awe as she looked back at the taller blonde. Elizabeth's lips curled up in a smirk as Alex nodded her head proudly.

"Where's your momma?" Alex asked. Elizabeth felt her heart drop as the brunette looked away, an unmistakable pain in her eyes.

"She can't come cause she's busy. Ms. Andrews went to see if someone could take me…"the brunette explained, her good arm coming back up to cradle her obviously broken arm. Elizabeth's eyes hardened again, unable to understand what kind of mother could leave her child in these circumstances. Just then the nurse, who Elizabeth assumed was Ms. Andrews, came back. Her steps faltered slightly as she noticed Elizabeth in the room but she marched on and knelt by Olivia.

"Ok Olivia, your mommy is still busy so Mr. Sturr will take you to see the doctor ok?" she explained quietly. The young girl was gamely fighting tears as she nodded her head, looking anywhere but at the other 3 people in the room.

"I can take her." Elizabeth said, stepping forward. 2 sets of surprised eyes snapped around to look at her. The nurse straightened up to her full height again as she studied Elizabeth.

"Oh no there's no need to worry Mrs…..?"

"Cabot." She enjoyed the slight widening of the nurses eyes as she figured out who the tall woman was.

"Well Mrs. Cabot, I can assure you that Mr. Sturr is quite reliable and will see to it that Olivia here gets to a doctor ASAP. He's just gathering some items and should be here in about 10 minutes." The nurse smiled. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at the slightly smaller woman.

"I am here right now and ready to go. The poor girl has a broken arm and for some reason no one feels that should be addressed post haste? You should be grateful the poor thing isn't screaming at the top of her lungs." Elizabeth replied. The nurse looked away shamefully.

"As long as the principal is okay with it it's fine by me." The nurse finally said. She made a quick phone call, got the principals approval and they were on their way within minutes.

"Mommy does this mean Liv can stay with us forever?" Alex asked excitedly as she clicked her seatbelt on. Elizabeth laughed and shook her head, eyeing the two girls in the mirror; one wide eyed with excitement and the other because she didn't know what was happening.

"No Alex, we're just taking Olivia to get her arm fixed. The doctor has to wrap it up for her so that it can heal properly." She explained as they pulled into the emergency room. Ushering both girls ahead of her she quickly explained to a nurse what happened and they were in a room in a matter of moments. While Olivia was getting her x-rays done thanks to the mobile machine Elizabeth asked Alex to tell her what happened.

"Oh mommy! That boy Trevor is always mean to me! He pulls my hair and throws dirt at me and calls me mean names! But everything is ok when Liv is there cause she protects me! Even though Trevor is 7 years old! Did you know that? Why are big kids always so mean?" Alex huffed. Elizabeth laughed lightly as she tried to soothe her daughter.

"Today when Trevor was being mean Livvie told him to leave me alone when he pushed me. And she told him that he shouldn't be mean just cause he's bigger and then he pushed her and she fell on me and her head hit me right here." She gestured to her split lip. Elizabeth watched in amusement as the young girl blushed and averted her eyes. "And then when I started crying Livvie got sad and then Trevor started laughing so Livvie told him to go away cause a teacher was coming and then he twisted her arm like this and she cried but then she hit him like this and then the teacher was there and we all had to go to the principal's office. I'm sorry mommy. I didn't mean to get in trouble and neither did Livvie. She was just trying to save me. Do you think her momma is gonna get mad at her?" Alex seemed truly stricken and Elizabeth assured her it wasn't her fault as she tried to translate the story from a five year old perspective. It seemed that the Trevor boy was picking on Alex; Olivia had come to her rescue which resulted in a broken arm though she apparently managed to punch the boy back afterwards when a teacher finally arrived.

Just then the doctor's finished up with the x-rays and the nurses started rolling everything out of the room. Many of them, having overheard the story, patted Olivia's good arm and they each offered her a sucker as the doctor explained that Olivia did in fact have a broken arm but they would have it in a cast in no time. Then he too told the young girl that she had done a good job stopping the bully and offered her a chocolate instead of a sucker. Glowing with pride, Olivia blushed when Alex kissed her on the cheek and declared her her knight in shining armor. The older blonde was permanently charmed by the young girl when she smiled at Alexandra, the pure adoration on her face bringing a smile to her own.

* * *

It wouldn't be until the two girls were in the sixth grade that Elizabeth would really start to see the damage done to the young Olivia at the hands of her mother. For the most part they were small things that one probably wouldn't notice unless they spent as much time in the young brunettes presence like she and her daughter did. It pained her to see someone so young growing up entirely too fast and it pained her to see the helpless look in her daughters eyes whenever Olivia came up with some excuse for her newest injury. A split lip was often passed off as a minor injury from playing football at recess, a black eye from running into a door. Elizabeth knew Alex didn't believe it but the young blonde was just as lost as her mother when it came down to confronting Olivia about it.

So Elizabeth did the only thing she could really think of and tried to have Olivia over as often as possible. Sometimes the tween would politely decline, based on whether she thought her mother may need her that particular evening or not. She chose not to press the matter but made it a point to remind Olivia as often as possible that she was welcome anytime, regardless of the reason or time. Her heart both swelled and broke at the look of pure relief and gratefulness on Olivia's face every time she told her so. But there was no denying that her heart grew fonder of Olivia whenever she was in her home and whenever the young girl looked at her with such admiration and a love that was so much like her daughters. She considered Olivia a daughter and treated her as such and in return Olivia treated her much like a mother.

Unfortunately there was no denying the way young Olivia looked at her daughter. She may have looked at Elizabeth like a mother but she looked at Alexandra like she was an Angel on earth. At that age, when girls were going through their first crushes and heart breaks, Elizabeth hoped that Olivia's puppy love would pass on but as the year dragged on she feared that it wouldn't. She didn't have any problems with it per se, but she worried for Olivia's fragile heart. She knew that the young brunette still didn't have a large circle of friends, preteens being fickle creatures after all, but she was genuinely concerned that the girl wouldn't recover if she recklessly tried to act on those feelings and Alexandra subsequently shot her down. She'd just have to keep an eye on them.

It was when the girls were in the eighth grade that things slowly started to change. Olivia would come over less often and she often seemed distant whenever she was there. Half way through the year, right before school was supposed to let out for winter break, Elizabeth had finally had enough. Olivia had shown up on her doorstep an hour earlier, nose bleeding and the left half of her face darkening into what looked like a particularly nasty bruise. The moment she'd opened the door Olivia smiled up at her, hiding the wince of pain gallantly, and explained that she'd been in a sledding accident earlier, could she perhaps come in and clean up? Elizabeth ushered her into the kitchen, handing her a handful of paper towels to keep blood from dripping everywhere. When Alex walked into the kitchen to see what the commotion was all about Elizabeth noticed for the first time that Olivia averted her gaze, seemingly hunching in on herself. She watched closely as Alex made sure that she kept some sort of furniture between them at all times, her voice clipped and curt when she questioned Olivia on her injuries. In years previous the blonde would have been at Olivia's side in an instant, demanding to know what had happened and why before shushing Olivia mid explanation before tending to the injuries gently. As Olivia wrapped up her quick summary Alex nodded, getting a bottle of water from the refrigerator before going back to her room. Olivia watched her go, her eyes swimming with pain and longing for her friend. Elizabeth sighed.

"What's going on between you and Alex Olivia?" she asked causing Olivia's eyes to snap to her. "I've seen the way you've been acting around each other lately and I want to know why." Her voice was gentle but stern, knowing the girl needed her 'mother mode' at that moment.

"W-we just, I mean I-she- no I'm the one to blame I guess…" the girl stammered out. Elizabeth raised one brow, waiting for further explanation. Olivia sighed in defeat, pressing the cold compress to her bruising cheek. "I'm sure you know Alex started dating Trevor a few months ago? She kept trying to set me up on dates with friends of Trevor's so we could go on double dates…."

This time both of Elizabeth's brows went up. She waited a few moments, watching Olivia fidget with the compress, refusing to make eye contact. She finally prompted the girl to continue with the story.

"I kept saying no, trying to be nice about it but she kept pushing it and eventually I told her that I hated Trevor and I didn't want to date any of Trevor's friends or be anywhere _near _Trevor or his friends. I mean, I don't know why she was so surprised by that! He's been a douche to her since we were five and he's a douche as a boyfriend too! Just because he's older and in high school now doesn't suddenly take away from the fact that he's a jerk to her still even if he's one of the "cool" kids now! And I don't even like boys so I don't know why she keeps trying to force me into dating one!" Olivia suddenly exploded, catching Elizabeth off guard. Suddenly realizing what she'd just said Olivia's eyes widened in fear, staring at Elizabeth. She had to resist the urge to laugh, instead reaching out and patting the girls arm reassuringly.

"I knew when you were 10 dear. As for your feelings towards Trevor I understand them completely. When I was about your age I had a best friend, her name was Elizabeth too, strange isn't it? She, like Alex, started dating her childhood tormentor and I felt more and more left out and pressured into doing the things that she and her boyfriend wanted to do. It's all a part of growing up Liv. Who knows? Perhaps Trevor has outgrown his "douche" ways, perhaps he never will. I commend you for sticking to your ways and being true to yourself and I hope that Alexandra will realize what a truly great friend she has in you. You're one of a kind and definitely someone worth holding on to and don't you ever forget that Olivia." Olivia was on the verge of tears and quietly thanked Elizabeth for her kind words before excusing herself for the evening. As the door quietly shut behind the young girl Elizabeth shook her head to herself.

Their friendship recovered slowly though it was never quite the same. Olivia rarely stayed overnight anymore and when she did she insisted on sleeping in the guest quarters rather than in Alex's room as she had since they were five. They bickered playfully and still spent time together but unlike before, where weekends had been strictly reserved for the duo it was now reserved for dates with Trevor. Olivia would stop by while Alex was out to sit and talk with Elizabeth, always making sure to be gone before Alex was due back. It saddened Elizabeth greatly and she'd often tease the young brunette about finding herself a girlfriend. Olivia would blush and shake her head, stating that she was waiting for someone special. Elizabeth suspected she knew who Olivia was waiting for and would smile sadly.

Their friendship grew even more strained late the following school year when Olivia finally did find herself a girlfriend. Olivia stopped by one evening while Elizabeth and Alex were in the living room, sipping tea and just spending time together. When the knock on the door came Elizabeth answered, suspecting who it would be based on the early evening hour. Olivia was practically glowing when she opened the door, a wide grin already stretched across her lips. Elizabeth smiled back reflexively, ushering the teen in and towards the sitting room while she prepared her a cup of tea. She could hear the two girls chatting away and giggling as she came back, tea in hand.

"So Olivia, what has you so happy today?" Elizabeth asked, waiting for the brunette to take a sip of her tea. Olivia's smile grew wider and Elizabeth noticed her daughter straighten up, focusing on Olivia. She met Elizabeth's gaze, a slight blush covering her cheeks before she averted her gaze. That gave Elizabeth a clue and she smiled softly at the girl, patiently waiting for an answer. Her daughter was not as patient.

"Yeah Liv. What's the deal? You're practically radiating sunshine over there." Alex reached over and poked her in the arm, smiling to let her know she was kidding.

"Well…Igotagirlfriend!" she said it so quickly, nearly dropping her mug in her excitement. Elizabeth smiled fully now, happy for the girl. They both missed the shocked and disappointed look on Alex's face.

"Really? Tell me all about her! What's her name and how did you meet her?" Elizabeth asked, bringing Olivia into a one armed hug. Olivia hugged her back tightly, always loving the easy affection Elizabeth showed her that was so absent in her own mother.

"Her name's Serena Southerlyn and she's in my biology class. She's my lab partner actually. And she's just so amazing! I mean she's smart and funny and beautiful and fun to be around! We've been out a few times and I just asked her earlier if she'd like to be my girlfriend and she said yes!" Olivia gushed, not noticing Alex's increasingly dark demeanor. Elizabeth smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Southerlyn you said? You have excellent taste Olivia. The Southerlyn's are old family friends and I know Serena. She's an incredible young woman indeed! Be careful with that one though, she's a feisty little thing from what her mother tells me and sharp as a tack too." Olivia nodded, laughing.

"She is she is! But she's also kind and generous and she likes spending time with me as much as I like spending time with her." Olivia sighed dreamily. Just then a pinging sound came from Olivia's pocket. She smiled apologetically to Elizabeth, pulling out her cell phone. Alex and Elizabeth could easily guess who it was based on the grin that lit up her face. "Speak of the devil. It seems that my girlfriend misses me already and she's right down the road with ice cream." Olivia explained as she quickly sent a response.

She stood and Elizabeth followed suit, escorting her to the door. After some light teasing Olivia promised to bring Serena by soon before she was out the door, practically skipping to the ice cream parlor down the street. Elizabeth smiled to herself, lightly shaking her head as she made her way back to the sitting area. She faltered for only a moment when she saw the downcast expression of her daughter and watched as it morphed into a glare aimed at where Olivia had been sitting, jealousy evident in her eyes.

* * *

As their high school years passed the girls grew closer than ever. Alex often spoke of Olivia and Serena and Elizabeth was glad the two apparently reconciled. She didn't know what caused it but she certainly wasn't going to question it. Olivia spent more time there whenever she wasn't with Serena and the two girls could often be found doing homework together or just hanging out in the blondes room. But as senior year started Alex focused more on her studies, aiming to get into a top notch school so that she could pursue her goal of becoming a lawyer. Olivia was also focusing more on her studies though she was aiming to join the police force. Elizabeth worried about that particular career choice but she knew that Olivia was exactly what the NYPD needed.

One night during the spring, a knock came from the door. Alex was in her room so Elizabeth answered the door, slightly concerned since it was pouring buckets outside. There was Olivia, her right eye blackened and her lip bleeding, soaking wet on the front porch. Elizabeth ushered the girl into the foyer as she asked for Alex. Elizabeth studied her briefly, catching a quick glimpse of more bruising where her t-shirt had ridden up when she wrapped her arms around her. Elizabeth called for Alex as she went to get a towel for the soaked girl.

"Alex! You have a visitor!" her mother called from downstairs. Alex looked at her bedroom door incredulously as if it was her mother. Who the hell would be out in this rainstorm? It was raining cats and dogs and a flood warning had been issued. With a sigh she realized she wouldn't know until she actually went to greet them. Trudging down the hall she paused momentarily when she saw Olivia, shivering from the cold and rain, dripping on the welcome mat while her mother fussed over the girl dripping all over the main entrance.

"Liv? What're you doing here? You're soaked!" Alex called from the inner balcony, resuming her journey downstairs. Alex felt her heart stutter as Olivia looked up at her and she saw the split lip and the black eye. "Oh my god! Are you alright?!" Ignoring all the lessons she'd been taught about decorum and etiquette throughout the years Alex ran down the stairs and skidded to a stop in front of her injured friend. Olivia smiled, which quickly turned into a grimace that caused the split lip to turn start bleeding again.

"Hey Alex. I'm sorry for stopping in unannounced. I don't know what I was thinking, I should've called first." Olivia said, accepting the towel Alex's mother held out to her with a quiet thank you.

"Liv don't worry about that. Are you okay? What happened?" Alex asked though she felt she already knew. "Ah, no biggie. Just needed some help on today's Lit assignment and knowing you, you probably had it done like 3 weeks ago so I was hoping you'd help me out?" Olivia evaded, looking at her friend with puppy dog eyes. Alex briefly considered demanding an answer to her question but decided against it when she caught the pleading look in Olivia's eyes. Instead she smiled softly and glanced at her mother, who nodded imperceptibly and went to make the chilled girl something warm to drink and a snack.

"Of course. Let's go. I don't know how you'd pass Lit without me." Alex said, knowing that Olivia had a better grade than she did, after all her mother was a professor. Olivia smiled gratefully as she followed Alex to her room.

* * *

_Olivia smiled as she was drawn out of the memory of that night and so many more like it. _

"_What? Do I have something on my face?" Alex asked, quickly swiping a hand over her face. This was her second day in the DA's office, and that meant it was the second time she'd seen Olivia since they'd gone their separate ways nearly 6 years earlier when they'd been accepted to their preferred universities. Their re-acquaintance was awkward and slightly stiff since Alex was supposed to be determining whether Olivia and her squad were crazy and should be dismissed from their posts. Olivia had stopped in to request a warrant from the new ADA and got lost in her memories while the prosecutor was on the phone with a judge. This new grown up Alex was like a foreign entity to her. _

"_No. I was just thinking."_

"_Oh. Well you're warrant will be ready by the time you arrive at the apartment. I'll have a runner deliver it. Did you need anything else?" Alex asked coldly, her mind already on other things. Olivia's shoulders slumped with defeat at the tone. When she was "introduced" to the attorney the day before she had high hopes of rekindling their friendship, after all Alex was the best friend she'd ever had. But she seemed so cold and didn't seem to have any interest in getting to know Olivia again. Olivia turned to make her way out of the office, pausing before the closed door._

"_No, that was all. Just, thanks."  
_

"_Not a problem. You did the leg work for this so a warrant was the least I could do to help get this guy."_

"_I don't mean the warrant. I meant throughout our entire childhood. All those nights when we'd stay up late talking with the TV on in the background or listen to music cuz I didn't want to go home to another fight. Those nights kept me alive and I never really had the chance to thank you or your mother properly. So thank you." And with that Olivia was out the door, missing the look of surprise on Alex's face._

* * *

A/N: Sooo I hope you all liked it. If you did please tell me so by leaving me a review. If you thought it was garbage and I should never write again please feel free to tell me that too. This was just a quickie that I did based on a songfic I'd written earlier during an ipod shuffle challenge. I did a quick review but it's time for me to board my plane so if there were any typos or random grammatical errors I sincerely apologize. Happy Holidays to you all and everyone stay safe!

Caders Kinda Ghost


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